Chapter 780: Whispers of Fate in the Forbidden Mountains

In the Land of Eternal Night, heavenly secrets remain obscure. Even though Lu Changsheng, a Fourth-Rank Diviner, has gathered abundant intelligence, he finds it nearly impossible to divine the future—he can only surmise that the other party’s words are most likely true.

As for whether to seal the demons or leave, unless he pushes his divination further by burning his own lifespan, it remains uncertain.

But now, deep within the Forbidden Mountains where danger lurks at every turn, if he dares to probe further into the secrets and burns his vital energy, he’ll be weakened for months, leaving his situation extremely perilous.

“This land of demon sealing involves ancient secrets. Young Friend, trying to divine its mysteries is a fruitless effort,” came the voice.

An aged voice, its keen sight recognizing the Celestial Treasure and the Punishment Beast, noted that Lu Changsheng was deciphering heavenly omens and warned him aloud.

Lu Changsheng opened his eyes and exhaled a weary sigh before clasping his hands and saying, “Senior, it’s not that I don’t want to help seal the demons—I’m simply overmatched.”

“At present, my vital energy and magical power lie dormant; my strength is scarcely a fraction of what it was in my prime. Though I possess a treasured artifact, I have no power to activate it.”

Even though the divination had yielded little, Lu Changsheng was certain of one thing: the speaker’s strength was unfathomable, and it would be unwise to cross him.

“Once you join me, I can ease the suppression of this demon-sealing land for you,” the voice declared.

The aged voice responded.

.

Lu Changsheng longed to turn and leave.

Yet his earlier divination indicated that the man’s words were likely true.

If he walked away, danger would arise once the demonic tide surged.

Besides, his tone was friendly—who knew if he might choose to reason first before turning hostile?

Torn between advancing and retreating, Lu Changsheng was in a bind.

After a moment’s thought, he abandoned further heavenly sensing and resorted to a simple divination method.

Closing his eyes, he tossed the three divination copper coins in his hand.

In the pitch-black night, the three coins glimmered with a faint golden hue before landing on the ground.

The first coin showed its yang side; the second, its yin; while the third was wedged between, with yin and yang indistinguishable.

“Heaven above, Earth below—the sign of a standing cauldron!”

Lu Changsheng opened his eyes and stared at the three coins, his expression hardening.

He hadn’t expected that even a casual toss would conceal such mysteries, with countless variables at play.

It only confirmed that as a Fourth-Rank Diviner, even a casual cast perfectly aligned with the inscrutable secrets of fate.

Just then, a chilling gust swept through the darkness, causing the coins to tremble and fall, revealing an eerie, ancient aspect.

“When the Yang line moves, it transforms into Yin—it’s the triumph of firmness over gentleness.”

The hexagram’s message clashed like swords in his mind, and he realized that stepping into this realm and these Forbidden Mountains meant he was about to plunge into chaos.

Instead of accepting outright, he looked deep into the mountains and, with his hands clasped, asked, “Senior, what benefit would there be for me to intervene and seal the demons?”

After all, if help was to be rendered, expecting some reward was only natural. The aged voice fell silent for a moment before replying, “After sealing the demons, I shall reward you, Young Friend.”

“That voice requested my intervention to seal the demons,” Lu Changsheng noted.

He didn’t press further about the reward but instead looked at Yun Wanshang and Qian Zhuyan and explained the matter of demon sealing.

He conveyed that after analyzing the divination and omens, he had resolved to act and seal the demons.

“You decide,” he said.

Yun Wanshang could see that Lu Changsheng had expended much of his vital energy and strength in reaching this decision, so she naturally chose to stand by him.

Qian Zhuyan expressed no objection, determined to follow Lu Changsheng’s lead.

“In that case, I am ready to act and seal the demons,” declared Qian Zhuyan.

Lu Changsheng then directed his gaze deep into the mountains without further mention of rewards.

After all, his words were meant only to convey that he wouldn’t help for nothing.

In an instant, the two humans, along with a puppet and two beasts, turned and headed into the depths of the mountains.

“Lu Changsheng, do you need to rest?”

Noticing the pallor and exhaustion on his face, Yun Wanshang asked with concern.

She knew his earlier divination had drained his vital energy.

Yet she wondered about his true divination prowess—given his robust Fourth-Rank Physique and impressive vitality, even a first or second-rank divination shouldn’t have been so taxing. “I’m fine,” he replied.

Lu Changsheng smiled as he spoke.

Possessing a Chaos Body, he could recover this drained energy in just three to five days—it wasn’t necessary to rest.

Moreover, his current state was meant to appear weaker than it truly was.

“I appreciate your help, Young Friend.”

A feeble, aged voice seemed to echo from deep within the mountains as it spoke to Lu Changsheng.

Deep in the mountains, jet-black beams of light—reminiscent of ferocious, twisting serpents from the Nether—roared and writhed, creating a mesmerizing yet terrifying sight.

Merely venturing deeper filled Lu Changsheng, Yun Wanshang, Qian Zhuyan, and Golden-Winged Roc with an overwhelming sense of dread.

Only the eyes of the Soul-Taking Beast sparkled with excitement.

As they advanced, increasingly bizarre creatures emerged, howling and charging toward the group.

Perched on Lu Changsheng’s shoulder, the Soul-Taking Beast snorted coldly, emitting a pale yellow glow that drew in the black mist into its nostrils.

“Soul-Taking, can you expel its Soul Crystal?”

Seeing the beast swallow the bizarre creature whole, Lu Changsheng inquired aloud.

The Soul Crystal contained pure yin spirit power, notably enhancing Qian Zhuyan’s puppet spirit.

After two years of nourishment from the Soul Crystal, Qian Zhuyan’s puppet spirit had reached its third-rank pinnacle—only a hair’s breadth from Fourth Rank.

But that gap was like an insurmountable chasm, which is why Lu Changsheng planned to help Qian Zhuyan upgrade his puppet spirit to Fourth Rank.

“Squeak, squeak, squeak.”

At these words, the Soul-Taking Beast rubbed its furry little belly as if to say, ‘Hold on a moment.’

“???”

Meanwhile, Yun Wanshang watched the Soul-Taking Beast on Lu Changsheng’s shoulder with astonishment and utter bewilderment.

What on earth?

How could such a harmless, miniature monkey-like creature devour a terrifying, bizarre beast in the blink of an eye?

Even if she were to handle that creature, it would require considerable effort.

In that moment, she understood why Lu Changsheng had been so pleased upon seeing the little monkey beast—it meant their journey would soon be a lot safer with its help.

“This is the power of the Soul-Taking Beast—it can capture souls and devour ghosts. Ghost cultivators of the same rank stand no chance against it.”

Lu Changsheng explained with a smile to Yun Wanshang.

Yun Wanshang merely nodded without pressing further.

Since their meeting, she had witnessed Lu Changsheng’s unbelievable and extraordinary methods.

The group advanced slowly.

Whenever bizarre creatures appeared along the way, the Soul-Taking Beast dealt with them immediately.

For mutated beings, however, Lu Changsheng and Golden-Winged Roc had to step in together.

But in this area, bizarre creatures abounded while mutants were rare.

After nearly digesting a bizarre creature, the Soul-Taking Beast expelled several emerald-green Soul Crystals.

Lu Changsheng knew that, much like the cavernous stomach of the Abyssal Sea Dragon Whale, the beast’s belly could digest bizarre creatures while leaving the Soul Crystals untouched.

“Good work.”

Lu Changsheng patted the furry Soul-Taking Beast with a smile and then handed all the Soul Crystals to Qian Zhuyan.

“Thank you, Master.”

Qian Zhuyan didn’t mind that the Soul Crystals had been expelled from the beast’s mouth.

After all, those bizarre creatures were eerie enough; whether the crystals fell from their bodies or were vomited out changed nothing. Three days later, Lu Changsheng, Yun Wanshang, and the others reached the end of the mountains and caught sight of the source from which a black pillar of light soared skyward.

The Demon Abyss!

It was a complete and utter Demon Abyss!

Even though Lu Changsheng had visited the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons, he now realized that this was the true Demon Abyss!

Under the pillar of demonic energy, ghostly demonic aura flowed like stagnant black water in the bottomless abyss—profound and lifeless, much like the earlier black fog.

The latest chapter of the webnovel has just been released!

At that moment, both Lu Changsheng and Yun Wanshang felt an overwhelming sense of oppression.

Fortunately, the outer edge and inner walls of the Demon Abyss were adorned with dazzling, multicolored array patterns that formed billowing, mist-like clouds, containing the abyss and easing their burden.

Otherwise, merely reaching this point would have pushed them to their limits, perhaps even subjecting them to the invasion of ghostly demonic aura.

“Young Friends, you have arrived.”

Just then, as the celestial dome shimmered with rosy hues, a burst of five-colored radiance suddenly lit deep within the Demon Abyss, with layers of dark clouds parting like mighty blades.

Soon after, a majestic qilin—nearly a meter tall—stepped onto auspicious clouds and appeared.

Its entire body was clad in sacred, multicolored scales that shone brilliantly within the Demon Abyss, and its horns glowed with a crystalline luster, as if carved from the finest jade.

The moment it appeared, a serene and holy aura washed over them, as though cleansing the demonic energy from the air, leaving Lu Changsheng and Yun Wanshang feeling refreshed and deeply relieved.

“Is it that Senior who summoned me?”

Lu Changsheng’s eyes narrowed as he beheld the five-colored qilin before him.

Wasn’t it supposed to be an Array Spirit? Why did it resemble a qilin? He quickly sensed something amiss—the creature was not genuine.

“It is indeed I,” came the response.

Though the qilin looked mighty and noble, its voice was feeble and weathered, as if carved by countless years of hardship.

Its cloud-stepping stance, reminiscent of the colored clouds covering the celestial dome and dark pillars, steadily dispelled the ghostly demonic aura as it said to Lu Changsheng, “The accumulation of demonic energy here is deep and oppressive. You may clear a path through the Punishment Beast, and once formation is complete, I will use arrays to lessen the suppression on you in this demon-sealing land.”

“At that time, you can harness the force of a grand array to activate Celestial Treasure Might and eliminate the ghostly demons,” it continued.

As soon as the words were spoken, it transformed into three drops of crystal-clear, five-colored blood, falling like shooting stars before Lu Changsheng.

“This is my own vital blood—it can temporarily alleviate the ghostly demonic aura affecting you and serves as a token of my reward,” the voice declared.

Deep within the Demon Abyss, the feeble, aged voice resounded once more.

Lu Changsheng faintly sensed that the voice now seemed even more frail than before.

“Is this… True Spirit Vital Blood?”

Lu Changsheng was no stranger to True Spirit Vital Blood.

He had not only used it to brew medicinal baths from the Sumeru Tree King’s and Golden-Winged Roc’s vital blood, but had also studied using it to refine pills and craft talismans.

Thus, he immediately recognized that the three drops before him were indeed True Spirit Vital Blood!

“Is this Array Spirit a true Spirit Qilin?”

Lu Changsheng silently mused as he gazed at the blood and then looked toward the depths of the Demon Abyss.

The abyss was bottomless, as if connected to endless darkness—he could only faintly hear ominous, terrifying roars in the distance.

“Soul-Taking, Golden-Winged Roc, do you see anything wrong with this blood?”

Exercising great caution, Lu Changsheng called for the Soul-Taking Beast and Golden-Winged Roc to inspect the blood before him.

Seeing that both creatures appeared eager and untroubled, he handed a drop of Qilin blood to Golden-Winged Roc, signaling for it to consume it.

After ingesting the drop, Golden-Winged Roc’s golden plumes shone brilliantly as it let out a lofty cry, indicating that the blood was fine—transformed into a serene, sacred energy that cleansed and purified its body.

Upon hearing this, Lu Changsheng took a drop for himself, and so did Yun Wanshang.

Yet inwardly, he couldn’t help but grumble that while there were five of them, the opposition had provided only three drops of vital blood.

Still, the Soul-Taking Beast, being a Punishment Beast, thrived in this environment, completely unfazed by the ghostly demonic aura.

Although Qian Zhuyan was affected, his puppet body and spirit managed to barely hold on.

As Golden-Winged Roc had explained, once the Qilin blood touched the tongue, it instantly transformed into a serene, holy energy that surged through his limbs, cleansing his body and mitigating the ghostly demonic aura.

However, possessing a Chaos Body and a Fourth-Rank Physique, the effect of this drop of Qilin blood was limited for him—it mainly helped dispel the prolonged discomfort from these Forbidden Mountains.

In contrast, Yun Wanshang experienced a pronounced effect; her magical energy surged like a roaring river, and her colorful palace attire billowed elegantly, exuding incomparable grace.

“Senior, what should we do?”

Lu Changsheng looked toward the Demon Abyss ahead and asked for guidance.

“I will strive to suppress the great demon. You need only unleash Celestial Treasure Might and have the Punishment Beast devour and annihilate the emerging ghostly demons,” the aged voice instructed.

Deep within the Demon Abyss, that feeble, aged tone resounded with boundless weariness and anticipation.

“Understood.”

Lu Changsheng and Yun Wanshang exchanged a glance before they, along with a puppet and two beasts, entered the Demon Abyss without refining the Qilin blood within.

Boom!

Barely upon stepping in, Lu Changsheng felt an oppressive shroud of ashen, black mist—a cold and heavy weight that defied description.

It was as if a dreadful presence, hidden in the darkness, had locked onto them.

Yet at that moment, the Qilin blood in his veins burst forth like warm sunlight, radiating serene, holy energy that cleansed him and mitigated the assault of the dark mist.

Huuu—

Simultaneously, countless bizarre creatures howled out from the depths of the Demon Abyss and surged toward Lu Changsheng, Yun Wanshang, and Golden-Winged Roc.

“Soul-Taking!”

Lu Changsheng immediately signaled the Soul-Taking Beast on his shoulder to act.

The Soul-Taking Beast, excitedly emitting a series of high-pitched squeals, dismounted from Lu Changsheng’s shoulder as its pale golden fur glowed amidst swirling black mist.

“This…”

Moments later, Yun Wanshang saw the once-harmless little monkey-like creature suddenly elevate to an imposing stature, shrouded in swirling black mist as it transformed into a fearsome, black-faced, fang-bearing demon ape.

Fixated on the Demon Abyss before it, the Soul-Taking Beast roared excitedly and swallowed countless bizarre, mist-like creatures whole.

Its crimson, demonic eyes swirled fiercely, unleashing a terrifying flash of Soul-Seizing Divine Light that shattered demonic energies and elicited eerie wails wherever it touched.

Lu Changsheng felt his long-dormant vital energy, magical power, and divine sense stir under an inexplicable force, and the Da Luo Sword Embryo materialized in his hand.

Clang!

Without hesitation, the rough Da Luo Sword Embryo trembled as the laws of Sword Dao intertwined, unleashing a dazzling beam capable of outshining the sun and moon.

“True Cultivator, Xiao Yan, stay by my side—just in case, hold off your attacks for now,” he instructed.

Lu Changsheng addressed Qian Zhuyan and Yun Wanshang.

He noted that while most of these bizarre creatures possessed only second-rank strength—which the two could handle—the sheer numbers were overwhelming.

At least Yun Wanshang was in good shape.

But if Qian Zhuyan were overtaxed, he would soon be left without even a single high-grade Spirit Stone.